Research Services & Technical Writing

John has extensive experience carrying out research activities at local, state and national archival repositories. Much of his research has been in support of the cultural resource management programs of the National Park Service, especially the Golden Gate National Recreation Area (GGNRA) and its non-profit coooperating association, the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy (GGNPC).

In recent years he has carried out research at the National Archives repositories in Washington, D.C., at College Park, MD, and in San Bruno, CA; at the California State Library; the Sutro Library; the Society of California Pioneers; California Historical Society; Marin Historical Society; the California State Military Museum; the San Francisco Public Library History Center; and the Bancroft Library at UC, Berkeley.

John has special experience and expertise in using the Park Archive & Records Collections (PARC) of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, housed at the Presidio of San Francisco. Following his retirement in 1999, John spent three years helping organize, arrange, and preparing finding aids for several thousand historic drawings and photos from the former Presidio Army Museum and Post Engineers collections.

Research projects have included historic background and context sections for the following reports:

Alcatraz Island Historic Structure Reports (Part I), with Lerner+Associates Architects, for following buildings: Alcatraz Defensive Barracks, Powerhouse, Quartermaster Warehouse, Post Exchange, Model Industries Building, and New Industries Building. Also, Cultural Landscape Report for Alcatraz Island, with Mundus-Bishop Design.  Alcatraz Cellhouse Historic Furnishings Report, with National Park Service, Harper's Ferry Center. Golden Gate Bridge Toll Plaza Historic Landscape Report, with Mundus-Bishop Design.

Fort Baker Historic Resource Study: Battery Cavallo, for GGNPC. Historic Structure Report (Part I): Fort Baker Mine Depot Marine Repair Facility, with Lerner+Associates Architects.

Fort Barry  Historic Structure Report (Part I): Nike Missile Launch Site SF-88L, for GGNRA.

Fort Cronkhite  Interpretive Operations & Training Manual for Battery Townsley, for GGNRA. Special History Study: Dairy Ranching in Southern Marin County (photographer) with Nick Weeks and Lissa McKee.

Fort Mason  Historic Structure Report (Part I): Fort Mason Officers Club Building, with GGNRA staff.

Fort Point  Historic Structure Report: Fort Point, with GGNRA staff.

Lands End  Cultural Landscape Report (Part I: for Lands End and Merrie Way, for GGNPC. Sutro Baths: An Evolutionary History, for GGNPC. Special History Study: Ocean Terrace, for GGNPC.

John Muir House National Historic Site  Historic Furnishings Report for Strentzel-Muir House, with National Park Service, Harper's Ferry Center.

San Diego County Sikes Adobe Farmhouse Interpretive Recommendations, for San Dieguito River Park, San Diego County.